Hamilton's Poverty Problem

[TheHonestMaple]

Since this type of discussion was not welcomed in the main downtown development forum, i've created this thread. Hoping that it can spur on some meaningful discussion on the topic of homeless shelters, safe injection sites, and the general state of our downtown as it relates to the homeless issue.

I want to discuss ways we can help the situation, what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong.

I understand it's a touchy subject, but criticising the city's handling of it should not be a taboo subject. I am extremely against any further development of homeless shelters in our downtown, including safe injection sites. It's just not the right path forward in my opinion for the neighbourhood, and makes the area less attractive for future development. I am also in the opinion that giving people in need things (drugs, etc) is not the solution. The solution is getting them on their feet financially (giving them a meaningful job).

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

Since this type of discussion was not welcomed in the main downtown development forum, i've created this thread. Hoping that it can spur on some meaningful discussion on the topic of homeless shelters, safe injection sites, and the general state of our downtown as it relates to the homeless issue.

I want to discuss ways we can help the situation, what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong.

I understand it's a touchy subject, but criticising the city's handling of it should not be a taboo subject. I am extremely against any further development of homeless shelters in our downtown, including safe injection sites. It's just not the right path forward in my opinion for the neighbourhood, and makes the area less attractive for future development. I am also in the opinion that giving people in need things (drugs, etc) is not the solution. The solution is getting them on their feet financially (giving them a meaningful job).

It's complicated but worth discussing.

How we create meaningful jobs for those people, who may not have many life skills let alone job skills, is a complex problem too. There are those who would not want to use public money to create or incentivize job opportunities, and businesses may not be interested in helping on the scale needed because they have profit to worry about (not saying that providing jobs for people who need help in that way can't be done profitably, but I think there are hurdles to getting the ball rolling and a stigma about hiring people addicted to drugs or alcohol)

But in my opinion, not providing them with services like shelters and medical facilities -- even if they're mostly "safe injection sites" -- is not the answer either.

Downtown Hamilton has suffered from the fact that there has been little else happening for so long, that the social problems stand out. Plus other nearby cities have not provided the services needed within their own borders (why should they when there are plenty available just down the highway in Hamilton! or Toronto! save the cost of buildings and staff and spend it on cab fare for the homeless and addicted), so it's hard to keep up with the needs.

Future development may help with the first thing. Get more people downtown, and more activity, and the social issues are not as prominent. They're still there, but not as magnified. The second is more of a government problem -- if the province would upload more of these services and costs rather than forcing the municipalities to bear the burden, they can be planned and distributed more equitably.

We can't just ignore the problem though, or ship it somewhere else. It will still exist.

[bigguy1231]

Hamilton's "poverty problem" isn't really a problem. Our poverty rate is lower than most larger cities in this country. It's unfortunate that there are poor people but there is always going to be poor people. In most cities the poverty rate is between 15-20%, we are at between 14 and 15%.

[905er]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

Since this type of discussion was not welcomed in the main downtown development forum, i've created this thread. Hoping that it can spur on some meaningful discussion on the topic of homeless shelters, safe injection sites, and the general state of our downtown as it relates to the homeless issue.

I want to discuss ways we can help the situation, what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong.

I understand it's a touchy subject, but criticising the city's handling of it should not be a taboo subject. I am extremely against any further development of homeless shelters in our downtown, including safe injection sites. It's just not the right path forward in my opinion for the neighbourhood, and makes the area less attractive for future development. I am also in the opinion that giving people in need things (drugs, etc) is not the solution. The solution is getting them on their feet financially (giving them a meaningful job).

I think its a worthy discussion to be had for sure. Every time I drive through Hamilton it's one of the most obvious and noticeable issues that I see. On the one hand there's the potential of the downtown, the gentrification and the restoration of great buildings while introducing new modern ones.. this is all great, but one can't ignore the elephant in the room. So much of Hamilton looks incredibly poor, run down, dirty.. Dundern Castle for instance, why are the grounds so disgusting and unclean?, the building is in decay if you walk around it.. why has it gotten to this point? That should be a landmark for all the right reasons. Its a telling sign of the state of affairs of the city itself. The city has to do a better job of addressing these issues, there are lives at stake and there isn't a sweep it under the rug solution to be found here.

Thanks for bringing this up.. and you are right.. it should not be a taboo subject. It's a subject that needs to be addressed. I too am interested in what people's thoughts are, particularly native Hamiltonians.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

Hamilton's "poverty problem" isn't really a problem. Our poverty rate is lower than most larger cities in this country. It's unfortunate that there are poor people but there is always going to be poor people. In most cities the poverty rate is between 15-20%, we are at between 14 and 15%.

The thread title should probably be changed. Poverty is one problem. Homelessness can be tied to it, but also caused by other things (e.g., mental health issues, addiction, physical and psychological abuse forcing people to leave a home, etc.)

Social issues related to addiction are separate. There are plenty of middle and upper class alcoholics and drug users, and many who are low income or living below the poverty line who lead clean lives.

[Larch]

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